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This Gary Danko Restaurant Review is from our April 2025 visit to this 1 Michelin Star restaurant.
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Gary Danko Location, Hours, and Reservations
Restaurant Gary Danko is located at 800 North Point Street, at Hyde Street, in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood. The restaurant is open Thursdays-Mondays, 5-10pm, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
We opted to take Waymo, to avoid having to search for parking. The restaurant is open for dinner only Thursday-Sunday and accepts reservations within 60 days of the dining date via OpenTable or by calling the restaurant at 415-749-2060.
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Gary Danko Menu and Food
Given all the challenges of the pandemic, we were happy to see so many of our favorites still on the menu, which we think is very fairly priced given the cost of high quality ingredients and labor in the Bay Area. There is a 6% surcharge for employee mandates in addition to taxes, which we find entirely fair.
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One of the things we love about Gary Danko's course menus is that it's possible to mix and match: you don't have to select an appetizer or dessert as part of a three-course menu. You can select all fish courses, for example, or all meat courses, and you can even select a different number of courses. On this visit, I selected three courses: lobster, duck, and a souffle for dessert, while my husband selected four courses: an oyster and caviar appetizer; salmon medallion; Filet of Beef; and a cheese course.
After welcoming us and providing menus, our server brought us a tasty vegetable soup amuse bouche.
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My husband greatly enjoyed his appetizer of Glazed Oysters with Osetra Caviar and Leek Fondue, mopping up every last bit of sauce with the provided sourdough bread.
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My first course of Roast Lobster with Potato Puree, Edamame and Tarragon Sauce was superb as well; I highly recommend it for lobster enthusiasts.
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My husband's next course, the Crusted Salmon Medallion with Mustard Sauce, looked a bit plainer than some of the other platings, but was immensely satisfying.
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I was happy to see a longtime favorite of mine, the Lemon Pepper Duck Breast with Confit Duck Cake and Celery Root still on the menu, and every bit as succulent and delicious as I remembered. I'd requested the meat cooked just a shade more than medium rare, and it was perfect.
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My husband was similarly thrilled by his Beef Fillet with Potato Gratin and Bone Marrow Bearnaise, and the full-bodied Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon paired with it was on point.
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We both adore a great cheese trolley, and Gary Danko doesn't disappoint, with a variety of both European and domestic cheeses. We enjoyed trying a delightful fresh goat cheese from Indiana-based Capriole Farms, as well as returning to favorites: Pont L'Eveque, Saenkanter, and Roquefort.
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We shared my baked chocolate souffle, with vanilla and dark chocolate sauces poured tableside, as a sweet finale.
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Except it wasn't the finale, since mignardises awaited us; favorites were the almond dulce de leche on the left, dark chocolate second to the left, and tangy lemon meringue (second from the right).
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For purposes of comparison, below is the menu and our review from our 2021 visit:
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The team started us off with a lovely amuse bouche of butternut squash soup, which all of us enjoyed.
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Since our son had selected a seafood course, cheese course and dessert course, our server asked if he'd like his cheese course first (our server no doubt had astutely noted the hungry look in our teen's eyes, which brightened at this suggestion). With over a dozen choices from which to choose, cheese lovers shouldn't miss this course.
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My first course, the Seared Sea Scallops with Parsnip Pear Puree, may have been my favorite. My only criticism is that I'd have quite liked a third scallop, to be able to share a little more of my dish with my husband and son, but it was otherwise a wonderful autumnal first course, with the parsnip and apple in the dish.
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Both my son and I ordered the Roasted Maine Lobster, and I overheard other tables ordering this too, so it's clearly a favorite. If you think the lobster in Singapore First Class is good, it doesn't hold a candle to this dish. Perfectly tender lobster is complemented with buttery potato puree with tarragon and finished with matsutake mushrooms and edamame.
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For our final savory courses my husband and I each ordered the Quail stuffed with sweet potato, cranberry and grain pilaf, with a piquant pomegranate sauce. While there's not a lot of meat on small game birds such as quail, this was a stellar rendition.
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Only our son ordered a dessert, the Baked Chocolate Souffle with Two Sauces. He adored this dessert, which he said was like “eating a chocolate cloud.” The dark chocolate and vanilla sauces are poured tableside.
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Additionally, the team brought a lovely complimentary birthday dessert for us:
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The Verdict
We last visited Restaurant Gary Danko 4 years ago, in 2021, and as is always the case when we visit a favorite venue we haven't been to in years, we wondered if it would be as good as we remembered. We needn't have worried. We were warmly welcomed by each team member we interacted with, and all of our dishes were just as excellent as we remembered. This is one of our very favorite 1 Michelin star restaurants worldwide, and we highly recommend planning well in advance to secure a reservation.
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